Singer Alice Glass quit Toronto electronic project Crystal Castles back in the fall, and that split turned ugly this month. First, producer Ethan Kath downplayed Glass' role in the band and said that he would be carrying on without her; then, Glass fired back and called Kath's statements "manipulative." Now, Kath has spoken out to clarify his stance.
Previously, Kath had said that he composed many of the band's lyrics himself, and he pointed out that Glass didn't appear on some of Crystal Castles' best-known songs. And while Glass contested this, Kath has held his ground in a new email interview with Pitchfork.
According to Kath, he was simply reinforcing things that Glass had already said. He explained, "I meant no harm to her, I was referring to her recent statements in i-D magazine that she left the band so she can finally 'be herself,' she was 'living a lie' in CC and she was ready to 'own her own darkness.' I didn't belittle her or make any derogatory comments, I was acknowledging what she had already said herself."
He further noted, "I was surprised by her statements because in that same i-d interview she claims I was restricting her ability to express her own creative input, she couldn't be herself, and that she needed to leave to find her own voice. Two months later she tweets that it was her voice. It can't be both." He added that tracks like "Violent Youth" and the album version of "Not in Love" featured his own pitch-altered voice.
It seems that Glass had taken a year away from Crystal Castles while Kath worked on new tracks. After a year, rather than return to the band, Glass quit without discussion.
And while things seem to be fairly acrimonious between the pair, Kath wrote, "I wish her the best," and added, "I'll always love her and sincerely want her to do well and be happy. I encourage everyone to anticipate Alice's solo music, I'm excited for it myself."
Meanwhile, Kath is working on new Crystal Castles material in the studio. The recent single "Frail" is the first of his new material, and an album is in the works.
Previously, Kath had said that he composed many of the band's lyrics himself, and he pointed out that Glass didn't appear on some of Crystal Castles' best-known songs. And while Glass contested this, Kath has held his ground in a new email interview with Pitchfork.
According to Kath, he was simply reinforcing things that Glass had already said. He explained, "I meant no harm to her, I was referring to her recent statements in i-D magazine that she left the band so she can finally 'be herself,' she was 'living a lie' in CC and she was ready to 'own her own darkness.' I didn't belittle her or make any derogatory comments, I was acknowledging what she had already said herself."
He further noted, "I was surprised by her statements because in that same i-d interview she claims I was restricting her ability to express her own creative input, she couldn't be herself, and that she needed to leave to find her own voice. Two months later she tweets that it was her voice. It can't be both." He added that tracks like "Violent Youth" and the album version of "Not in Love" featured his own pitch-altered voice.
It seems that Glass had taken a year away from Crystal Castles while Kath worked on new tracks. After a year, rather than return to the band, Glass quit without discussion.
And while things seem to be fairly acrimonious between the pair, Kath wrote, "I wish her the best," and added, "I'll always love her and sincerely want her to do well and be happy. I encourage everyone to anticipate Alice's solo music, I'm excited for it myself."
Meanwhile, Kath is working on new Crystal Castles material in the studio. The recent single "Frail" is the first of his new material, and an album is in the works.
